Bottle stopper arrangement



April 12, 1966 H. ESSICH 3,245,569

BOTTLE STOPPER ARRANGEMENT Filed Aug. 17. 1964 Ill INVENTOR h d/ha) 5314 BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,245,569 BOTTLE STO?PER ARRANGEMENTHelmut Essich, Hanan (Main), Germany (Pferdslache 18, 645 Hanan, Hesse,Germany) Filed Aug. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 3%,781

7 Claims. (Cl. 215-48) The present invention relates to a bottle stopperarrangement and more particularly to a bottle stopper arrangement to beadvantageously used in connection with champagne bottles or otherbottles in which a fluid is maintained under pressure.

Generally, champagne bottles are closed in such a manner that a corkstopper is inserted into the mouth of the bottle and the stopper is,held in place by a metal band which extends, substantially U-shaped,from one side of the neck of the bottle over the head of the stopper tothe other side of the neck of the bottle. The metal band is held inplace by means of a wire loop which engages a bead around the mouth ofthe bottle whereby the ends of the loop-forming wire are twistedtogether. In order to'open the champagne bottle, the Wire is untwistedso that the loop becomes wider and the metal band may he slipped out ofthe same or the entire loop may be slipped over the bead at the mouth ofthe bottle. In this manner the stopper is freed for subsequent removal.However, frequently, due to the carbon dioxide pressure in the interiorof the champagne bottle, the cork stopper is ejected from the neck ofthe bottle before the removal of the metal band or the like has beencompleted.

Due to the difficulty in controlling the removal of the stopper and themanipulative steps involved, many people are reluctant to open champagnebottles.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the abovediscussed difliculties and disadvantages.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bottlestopper arrangement which may be advantageously used in connection withchampagne bottles and the like and which permits an easy control of theopening of the bottle.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bottlestopper arrangement which can be produced in a simple and economicalmanner and is easy to manipulate.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide abottle stopper arrangement which after opening of the champagne bottleor the like will also be suitable to close the same so as to again forma hermetic seal.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a further reading of the description and of the appendedclaims.

With the above and other objects in view, the present inventioncontemplates a bottle stopper arrangement, comprising, in combination, atubular insert adapted to be secured at the outer end thereof in themouth of a bottle and projecting with the inner end thereof into thebottle to be closed, the tubular insert having an inner face defining apassage the cross-sectional area of which decreases in the directionfrom the one end to the other end thereof, the inner face having ascrew-threaded annular surface portion in the region of the outer end ofthe insert, and a bottle stopper adapted to be inserted into the tubularin- .sert through the outer end thereof, the stopper having ascrew-threaded annular surface portion located in the region of theouter end thereof and adapted to engage the screw-threaded annularsurface portion of the inner face of the tubular insert, the stopperhaving in the region of the other end thereof a cross-sectional areagreater than "the cross-sectional area of the inner face of the passagein the tubular insert at the inner end thereof and having from thescrew-threaded surface portion to the other end thereof stopper.

"ice

a length greater than the length of the passage in the insert from thescrew-threaded surface portion to the inner end thereof, whereby whenthe stopper is unscrewed from the insert the other end of the stopperwill still be located within the inner end of the passage in the insert,forcing the same outwardly.

According to a preferred embodiment, the bottle stopper arrangementcomprises, in combination, a tubular insert adapted to be secured at oneend of the mouth of a bottle and projecting with the other end thereofinto the bottle to be closed, the tubular insert consisting ofresiliently deformable material and having an outer face, an inner facedefining a passage the cross-sectional area of which decreases in thedirection from the one end to the other end thereof, the inner facehaving a screwthreaded annular surface portion in the region of the oneend i.e. the. outer end of the insert extending in axial direction ofthe passage for a predetermined distance, and the outer face beingformed with at least one annular suction groove which when pressedagainst the inner face of the neck of the bottle will tend to adhere thetubular insert thereto, and a bottle stopper adapted to be inserted intothe tubular insert through the one end thereof, the stopper having ascrew-threaded annular surface portion located in the region of one endthereof and adapted to engage the screw-threaded annular surface portionof the inner face of the tubular insert, the stopper having in theregion of the other end thereof a cross-sectional area greater than thecross-sectional area of the inner face of the passage in the tubularinsert at the other i.e. the inner end thereof and having from thescrew-threaded surface portion to the other end thereof a length greaterby the predetermined distance than the length of the passage in theinsert from the screw-threaded surface portion to the other end thereof,whereby when the stopper is unscrewed from the insert the other end ofthe stopper will still be located within the other end of the passage inthe insert, forcing the same outwardly.

Thus, according to the present invention a bottle stopper or closurearrangement for champagne bottles and the like is provided which willserve to firmly close the bottle without requiring a wire or metal band,which can be easily opened and nevertheless will provide the traditionalpopping noise during expelling of the Furthermore, the stopperarrangement according to the present invention, according to which thetubular insert remains fixed to the mouth of the bottle and only thebottle stopper is removed therefrom, will permit without difiicultiesrepeated opening and closing of the champagne bottle or the like. i

In order to achieve the unobvious advantages of the present invention,it is essential that the length of the stopper when the same is screwedinto the tubular insert is such that the free end portion of the stopperextends beyond the insertedend portion of the tubular insert for alength which is at least equal to the width or axial length of thescrew-threaded portion of the tubular insert. In this manner it isachieved that upon unscrewing the bottle stopper, the free end portionof the same will still be located in the area of the inserted endportion of the tubular insert and will press the same outward-1y againstthe inner face of the bottle neck, thereby forming a tight seal.

According to the present invention, the closure remains fully effectiveduring the unscrewing of the bottle stopper. Only immediately after theunscrewing is completed, i.e. when the threads of the tubular insert andthe bottle stopper are disengaged, is it possible to have the bottlestopper expelled by the superatmospheric pressure prevailing in theinterior of the bottle. This generally will require only a quickloosening movement of the unscrewed bottle stopper.

The bottle stopper portion which is inserted into the tubular insert isof cylindrical shape and preferably has throughout its entire lengthfrom the screw-threaded portion thereof to its free end a circularcross-section of constant diameter.

The lower or free end portion of the cylindrical stopper will press theinserted end portion of the tubular insert'outwardly into firm contactwith the inner face of the neck of the bottle. As illustrated anddescribed above, the cross-sectional area of the tubular insertdecreases in the direction toward its insertedfree end portion to suchan extent that in the inserted end portion of the bottle stopperarrangement the tubular insert when not under stressrcannot accommodatethe corresponding end portion of the cylindrical bottle stopper and thusthe insert will be resiliently pressed outwardly.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the outerface of the portion of the tubular insert which will be pressedoutwardly by the-inserted bottle stopper is formed with at least one,preferably with two parallel, annular suction grooves. By pressing thisouter face portion of the tubular insert against the inner face of theneck of the bottle, the suction grooves will be resiliently flattenedand thereby form a very tight seal between the tubular insert and'theneck of the bottle. Furthermore, the outer edge of the inserted endportion of the tubular insert may be formed as a sealing lip which,

upon insertion of the stopper, will be pressed against the neck portionof the bottle.

The novel features which areconsidered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as'to its construction and its methodoperation, together.

with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understoodfrom the following description of specific embodiments when read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

The figure is a schematic elevational cross-sectional view of anembodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that tubular insert 2 isfixed with its upper end portion to bottle neck 1., and the outer end ofupper end portion 3 grips bead 4 of the bottle neck. The inserted part 5of tubular insert 2 is of frustcconical configuration and formed at itsouter face with two annular suction grooves 6 as well as with an annularsealing lip 7.

The upper portion of insert 5 is formed with screw threads 8.-

Stopper 9 includes a cylindrical "shaft 10 which is formed at its upperportion with screw threads-11 adapted to engage screw threads 8 ofinsert 5. The ring portion 12 of the stopper is adapted upon closing ofthe bottle to engage the corresponding part of upper portion 3 of thetubular insert.

It is preferred to provide stopper 9 in a manner. known per se with aknurled surface portion 13 and with a somewhat rounded head 14.

Upon engaging screw thread 11 of stopper 9 and screw thread 8 of thetubular insert 2, the cylindrical shaft lit of the stopper will pressthe frustoconical wall 5 of tubular insert 2 into engagement with theneck of the. bottle. Thereby, particularly due to suction grooves a, thefrustoconical insert portion 5 will adhere to the bottle neck by suctionand additionally will be firmly held in sealing position by the insertedstopper portion 10.

Upon opening of the bottle, the stopper is unscrewed until the screwthreads 8 and 11 are disengaged from each other. In this position,cylindrical stopper portion 10 still presses the frustoconical portion 5of insert 2 against bottle neck 1 as long as the stopper is held in thisposition. Upon releasing, i.e. no longer holding, the stopper, orpossibly slight movement of the head portion, the'stopper will beexpelled from the bottle neck due to the overpressure maintained in thebottle and the popping of the stopper will be accompanied by the 4expected noise. However, it is also possible to remove the stopperslowly by hand without popping.

Tubular insert 2 and stopper 9 preferably are formed of syntheticplastic materials well known in the art for similar purposes, forinstance polyethylene or polystyrene. At least the portions of thebottle stopper arrangement which are deformed during closing or openingof the bottle, particularly frustoconical insert portion 5, must beresiliently deformable or compressible and expandable.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find-ahsefu-l application in other types of abottle stopper arrangement differing from the types described-above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in abottle stopperarrangement for a champagne bottle or the like, it is notintended to be-limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made withoutdepart-ing in any way fromthe. spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics. of the .generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptationsshould andare intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A bottle stopper arrangement, comprising, in combination, a tubularinsert adapted to be .secured at the.

outer end thereof in the mouth of a bottle and projecting with the innerend thereof into the bottle to be closed, said tubular inserth'aving aninner face defining a passage the cross-sectional area of whichdecreases inthe direction from said outer end to said innerend. thereof,said inner face having in the region of said outerend of said insert ascrew-threaded annular surface portion of predetermined width; and abottle stopper adapted to be inserted into said tubular insert throughsaid .outer end thereof, said stopper having a screw-threaded annularsurface portion located in the region-of the .outer end thereof andadapted to engage said screw-threaded annular surface portion of theinner face of said tubular insert, the length of said stopper from saidscrew-threaded surface portion to the inner end thereof being greaterthan the length of said passage in said insertfrom said screw-threadedsurface portion to said inner end thereof by a distance vat least equalto said predetermined width and a portion of said stopper, extendingfrom saidinner end of said stopper at least said distance, having across sectional area greater than the cross sectional. area of the innerface of said passage. in said tubular insert .at said inner 'endthereof, whereby when said stopper is unscrewed from said insert saidinner end of, said stopper will after unscrewing still be located withinsaid inner end of said passage in said insert, forcing the same radiallyoutwardly.

2. A bottle stopper arrangement as set' forth inclaim 1 wherein saidtubular insert consists of resiliently deformable material.

3. A bottle stopper arrangement as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidtubular insert has an outer face being formed with at least one annularsuction groove, which when pressed against an inner faceof a neck of abottle will tend to adhere said tubular insert thereto.

4. A bottle stopper arrangement asset forth in claim 2 wherein saidtubular insert has an outer'face andformed with two parallel annularsuction grooves respectively extending in planes substantiallyperpendicular tothe axis face being formed in the region of the outerend of said tubular insert with an annular outwardly extending sealinglip which when pressed against an inner face of a neck of a bottle willform a seal between the neck of the bottle and said tubular insert.

6. A bottle stopper arrangement as set forth in claim 2 wherein thelength of said stopper from said screw threaded surface portion to saidinner end thereof is greater than the length of said passage in saidinsert from said screw threaded surface portion to said inner endthereof by a distance greater than said predetermined width.

7. A bottle stopper arrangement as set forth in claim 2, wherein saidtubular insert has an outer face, said outer face being formed in theregion of the outer end of said tubular insert with an annular outwardlyextending sealing lip which when pressed against an inner face of a neckof a bottle will form a seal between the neck of the bottle and saidtubular insert and wherein said tubular insert is formed with at leastone annular suction groove,

6 which when pressed against an inner face of a neck of a bottle willtend to adhere said tubular insert thereto and wherein the length ofsaid stopper from said screw threaded surface portion to said inner endthereof is greater than the length of said passage in said insert fromsaid screw threaded surface portion to said inner end thereof by adistance greater than said predetermined width.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,735,566 2/1956Bramming 21554 3,015,403 1/1962 Fuller 215--54 3,141,586 7/1964 Wetterek215--49 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,266 2/ 1964 Canada.

JOSEPH LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

20 V. A. TOMPSON, D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiners.

1. A BOTTLE STOPPER, ARRANGEMENT, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TUBULARINSERT ADAPTED TO BE SECURED AT THE OUTER END THEREOF IN THE MOUTH OF ABOTTLE AND PROJECTING WITH THE INNER END THEREOF INTO THE BOTTLE TO BECLOSED, SAID TUBULAR INSERT HAVING AN INNER FACE DEFINING A PASSAGE THECROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF WHICH DECREASES IN THE DIRECTION FROM SAID OUTEREND TO SAID INNER END THEREOF, SAID INNER FACE HAVING IN THE REGION OFSAID OUTER END OF SAID INSERT A SCREW-THREADED ANNULAR SURFACE PORTIONOF PREDETERMINED WIDTH; AND A BOTTLE STOPPER ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED INTOSAID TUBULAR INSERT THROUGH SAID OUTER END THEREOF, SAID STOPPER HAVINGA SCREW-THREADED ANNULAR SURFACE PORTION LOCATED IN THE REGION OF THEOUTER END THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID SCREW-THREADED ANNULARSURFACE PORTION OF THE INNER FACE OF SAID TUBULAR INSERT, THE LENGTH OFSAID STOPPER FROM SAID SCREW-THREADED SURFACE PORTION TO THE INNER ENDTHEREOF BEING GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID PASSAGE IN SAID INSERTFROM SAID SCREW-THREADED SURFACE PORTION TO SAID INNER END THEREOF BY ADISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED WIDTH AND A PORTION OFSAID STOPPER, EXTENDING FROM SAID INNER END OF SAID STOPPER AT LEASTSAID DISTANCE, HAVING A CROSS SECTIONAL AREA GREATER THAN THE CROSSSECTIONAL AREA OF THE INNER FACE OF SAID PASSAGE IN SAID TUBULAR INSERTAT SAID INNER END THEREOF, WHEREBY WHEN SAID STOPPER IS UNSCREWED FROMSAID INSERT SAID INNER END OF SAID STOPPER WILL AFTER UNSCREWING STILLBE LOCATED WITHIN SAID INNER END OF SAID PASSAGE IN SAID INSERT, FORCINGTHE SAME RADIALLY OUTWARDLY.